


Nine of Hearts

by QianLan



Series: Historical AUs [6]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: 1930s, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Historical, Detective!Finn, Flirting, M/M, Mutual Pining, musician!Poe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-10 04:12:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12290982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QianLan/pseuds/QianLan
Summary: D’Qar is a rough city run by a crooked man.  If you want to make anything of yourself, you have to play by Mayor Snoke’s rules.That doesn't mean there aren't people pushing back.  There's the Resistance, whoever they are, and then, there's Finn Smith.Finn is just a PI trying to make an honest living—but in D'Qar, that's nearly impossible.  He and his partner, Rey, have no new cases, and the rent is coming due.That’s when Poe Dameron saunters into Finn’s office.  Poe is a musician with big brown eyes and an even bigger secret, and Snoke’s men have fingered him for murder.Finn reluctantly agrees to take on the case.  He knows it may be tricky, but what he’s not betting on is all the ways it will dredge up the past…or the way his heart will go pitter pat whenever Poe is nearby.COMPLETE





	1. The Simple Art of Murder

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in 1936 in name only--there is very little historical accuracy and I've jettisoned any period-typical racism and homophobia. 
> 
> And yes, in the tradition of _Kiss Kiss Bang Bang_ , every chapter title is named after a Raymond Chandler story.
> 
> Speaking of which, a special shout out to the SWWA who were all very helpful with title ideas!

 

 

**October 8, 1936**

It was a sunny day.  The air was crisp and the streets were busy in D’Qar.  In another month, more than likely, there’d be snow on the ground.  But today…

 

_Today, is the day our luck turns around,_ Finn thought as he hurried down the sidewalk, trying to balance two cups of coffee and a newspaper.

 

Finn had only been back in D’Qar for two months, and business was slow.

 

_Really slow._

_Dead, actually._

 

Finn frowned as he stood in front of the office door.  **Smith and Kenobi, Private Investigators.**   He closed his eyes.  _Please say there was a call._

 

He opened the door and held out a cup to his partner, Rey.  He then shifted his cup and newspaper.  “Any calls?”

 

Rey shook her head.

 

Finn sighed.

 

“We’ll get something,” she said.

 

“Right.”  He walked through the front office into his office in the back.  He threw his newspaper on the desk and then slid into his chair.

 

“We will,” Rey called out.

 

“Yeah,” Finn said as he unfolded the paper with a frown.

 

A huge banner headline greeted him: **LOR SAN TEKKA DEAD!**

 

Under that: **Musician sought in connection to murder.**

 

Finn studied the picture of the suspect and he couldn’t help the smile that flittered across his face.  The guy was handsome—big brown eyes, tousled curls, the kind of guy who knew he was attractive and probably used it to his advantage.  _But still_ , Finn thought, _it’s a shame he’s a murderer._

 

Finn shook his head and skimmed the article.  _Lor San Tekka, local war hero and historian…stabbed through the heart…house ransacked…nine of hearts card placed on the body…witnesses spot musician leaving the scene…_

 

He put down the paper and muttered, “Why can’t we get a case like this?”

 

“What,” Rey yelled out.

 

“Nothing,” he said.  He stared at the phone, willing it to ring.  After a minute, he leaned back into his chair rubbing his temple.  “Kriff,” he muttered.  If they didn’t get some new business soon, they weren’t going to make their rent.

 

**# # # #**

 

Poe looked at the piece of paper in his hand.  Snap had said that an old friend-of-a-friend knew of a guy who was supposedly on the up-and-up.  “One-twenty-three Crait street,” Poe kept muttering.  “Office two-twenty-one.”  He saw a police car and ducked into an alley, pulling the lapels of his jacket up around his ears. 

 

Once the car had passed, he dashed across the street.  “One-twenty-three Crait.”  He hurried up the sidewalk, hoping no one paid too much attention to him.

 

**# # # #**

 

“I’m going out for lunch,” Rey said, leaning in Finn’s doorway.  “You want anything?”

 

Finn shook his head.

 

Rey frowned.  “We’ll get a case.  Just give it time.”

 

Finn raised an eyebrow.  “Not in this town.”

 

Rey rolled her eyes.  “Just because Snoke and his men have the police and the papers under their thumbs doesn’t mean that everyone here is crooked.”

 

“No.  But it does make it harder to work,” Finn said.

 

“So why come back?  Why not stay in Jakku?”

 

“That junkyard?”  Finn rubbed his temples.  “Because someone has to stand up to Snoke.”

 

Rey laughed.  “I can’t tell if that’s really sweet or really stupid.”

 

“Both,” Finn said.  He shook his head.

 

Rey pushed away from the door.  “We’ll get a case,” she said as she left the office.

 

**# # # #**

 

Poe stood in front of the door, studying the sign: **Smith and Kenobi, Private Investigators.**

 

His hand paused just before he knocked.  _Please be on the up-and-up_ , he begged the universe.  _Please don’t work for Snoke._

 

He knocked.

 

There was no response.

 

He knocked again.

 

Then, he noticed the door was unlocked.  He opened it.  “Hello,” he called out.  “Anyone here?”  He crept in and heard something from the inner office.

 

He walked to that door and slowly pushed it open.  There was a beautiful man asleep in a chair behind the desk.  He didn’t look terribly tall, but he was squarely built and he had the most kissable lips Poe had ever seen.  For a second, Poe just stood there and watched him.  _Kriff._

Then he smiled.  _Thank you, Snap._

 

Poe cleared his throat.  “Uhhhh, excuse me?”  He knocked on the door.

 

The man startled awake.  “What?”

 

“I’m looking for Mister Smith.”

 

The man blinked.  “I’m Mister Smith.”  He cocked his head, studying the man standing across from him.  “Do I know you?”

 

“No,” Poe said.  “But I’m hoping you can help me.”

 

Finn’s eyes narrowed.  He never forgot a face—especially not a pretty face—and he was certain he’d seen this guy before.

 

Then, it dawned on him.

 

He pulled a gun out of his desk.  “I want you to put your hands up, nice and slow.”

 

“Kriff,” the man said, putting his hands up.  “I came here to ask for help.”

 

“I don’t help murderers.”

 

“Great!  I’m not a murderer.”

 

“Yeah, right.”

 

“I swear on my mother’s grave that I did not murder Lor San Tekka.  He was a friend.”  The man took a tentative step forward.  “My friend Snap, he’s friends with a girl named Jess, who said her friend Rose is friends with a guy who’s on the up-and-up.  Someone who isn’t on the take from Snoke.”

 

Finn raised an eyebrow.

 

Poe reached into his jacket slowly and held out the paper.  “They said to come here and you’d help.”

 

Finn groaned.  _Thanks, Rose.  I’ll have to remember to pay you back for this._   He lowered his gun.  “You have a name?”

 

“Poe.  Poe Dameron.”

 

“I’m Finn.  Finn Smith.”

 

“Nice to meet you Mister Smith.”

 

“We’ll see.”  Finn leaned back in his chair.

 

The man crossed the office and leaned across Finn’s desk, his eyes locked on Finn’s.  “You have to believe me, Mister Smith.  I did not murder that man.”

 

“The papers say you did, so do the police.”

 

“The papers and the police are run by old man Snoke.”

 

_Very true_ , Finn thought.

 

The man batted his eyelashes and leaned forward just a bit more.  “Please, Mister Smith.  You’re my only hope.”

 

_He’s playing me._

_And it’s working._

 

_Dammit._   Finn felt his resolve waiver and break.  He was always a sucker for big brown eyes, and this guy had the biggest, prettiest brown eyes he’d ever seen.  He sighed.  “It’s twenty dollars a day, plus expenses.”

 

“Done,” the man said, leaning back.

 

Finn lifted an eyebrow.

 

“Well, I mean done when I’m cleared and I can get some money out of the bank.”

 

Finn groaned.

 

“I swear, I’m good for it!”

 

“Yeah, right.”  Finn could feel a headache coming on.  He pointed to the chair in front of his desk.  “Mister Dameron, was it?”

 

“Yes,” Poe said, sitting down and scooting forward.

 

“Tell me everything that happened and why you think they’re trying to pin this on you.”

 

Poe nodded.  “Well,” he said, licking his lips.  “I’m a trumpet player and a singer, and I know what you’re thinking, starving musician, but I do okay for myself,” he said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. 

 

“I bet you do,” Finn said, dryly.

 

“Yeah, well, anyway, an old family friend asked if I would do her a favor and go visit Lor San Tekka.  Said he had something for her.  I was supposed to pick it up and deliver it to her this afternoon.”

 

“What was it?”

 

Poe shrugged.  “No idea.  I figured Tekka would tell me when I got there.”

 

“So, you knew him,” Finn asked, scribbling down notes.

 

“Yeah.  He was friends with my dad back in the war.  Nice guy.  Historian or something like that.”  Poe smiled.  “He was always telling stories about the war.  Had some doozies.”

 

“This friend who asked you to meet Tekka.  What’s her story?”

 

“I’d rather leave her out of this,” Poe said, his smile falling.

 

Finn raised an eyebrow.  “Why?”

 

Poe leaned forward.  “Like I said, she’s an old family friend and…”  Poe’s voice became hushed.  “She’s not exactly friendly with Snoke and his ilk.  And I’m sure they’d like any excuse to drag her name through the mud.”

 

“Still, we can’t rule her out as a susp—”

 

“She didn’t set me up,” Poe said.

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

“I’d trust her with my life.”

 

“So why not go to her?  Why come here?”

 

“Like I said, I’m pretty sure Snoke and his people got wind that she was talking to Tekka and that’s why they framed me.  If I went back to her, they could say I was doing it on her orders or something.”

 

_There’s something you aren’t telling me._   “Fair enough,” Finn said.  “So, she told you to meet Tekka.  When and where was that supposed to happen?”

 

“I was supposed to stop by his place before my show last night.”  Poe shook his head.  “Stupid kriffing murder messes up what was gonna be…”  He looked over at Finn.  “Sorry.  I just had a big show last night and…”  He frowned.  “Anyway, I show up at Tekka’s place around seven.  The front door was ajar, so I figured he left it open for me.  I go in and find him in his study, on the ground.  I run over to see if he’s okay, and suddenly there are people behind me yelling that I killed him.”

 

“They were waiting for you,” Finn said.

 

“Seems like it.”

 

“What happened then?”

 

“One of them went to grab me, and I hit him.  The other lunged at me, but I dodged out of the way.  There were some others coming in the front, so I ducked out the back.  Jumped the fence and high-tailed it out of there.”

 

“And then?”

 

“Then, I went to my friend Snap’s place.  He’s a taxi driver, so he’s out most nights, but I know where he keeps the spare key.  Anyway, I lay low there and when he gets home, he tells me that my name is all over the papers.”  Poe shook his head.  “They had to be waiting for me.  I didn’t know any of those guys, but suddenly they’re fingering me?  They knew my name and what I do.”  He sighed.  “It’s a big kriffing mess.”

 

“What did Tekka’s place look like?  What do you remember?”

 

Poe closed his eyes.  “His study was a mess.  There were papers everywhere, like someone was looking for something.”  Poe opened his eyes.  “And the dagger that was in Tekka’s chest, I didn’t recognize it.  I don’t think it was his.”

 

“Describe it.”

 

“It was black with red gems in the handle and a strange sort of…”  Poe ran a hand through his hair.  “It looked like a miniature red sword, if that makes any sense.”

 

“Good,” Finn muttered, writing that down.

 

Poe leaned back while Finn kept scribbling.  After a moment, he asked, “So now what?”

 

“Now, I do some investigating and we find a place to hide you until the worst of this blows over.”

 

“I want to help,” Poe said.

 

“That’s nice, but I prefer to do things alone.”

 

“It says Smith and Kenobi on the door.”

 

“Yeah, that’s Rey, my partner.  She sits out front, pretends to be my secretary sometimes to get a read on new clients.”

 

“Well, you work with _her_ ,” Poe said.

 

“That’s different.  She’s trained.  Besides, we usually split up on big cases.  Cover more ground that way.”  Finn heard the front door.  “Speak of the devil.”  He called out, “Rey?”

 

“Yeah,” she asked. 

 

“Come here.  I’d like you to meet our new client.”

 

Rey came in with bright eyes and a big smile—which instantly fell when she spotted Poe. 

 

Poe stood and extended a hand to her and was on the ground in the next instant.

 

“Rey,” Finn barked.  “What in the kriff?”

 

“Finn, he’s the murderer!  It’s all over the papers.”

 

From underneath Rey’s shoe, Poe grunted out.  “Not me.  Framed.”

 

Rey raised an eyebrow.  “Right.”

 

“I believe him,” Finn said.

 

She shot Finn an incredulous look and shook her head, removing her foot from Poe’s windpipe.  “You always did have a soft spot for strays.”

 

Poe pushed himself up.  “Nice to meet you,” he said, rubbing his sore throat.

 

“Yeah,” Rey said, clearly unimpressed.  She looked at Finn.  “You really believe him?”

 

Finn nodded.  “This smells like Snoke and his people.”

 

Rey frowned.  “All the more reason to steer clear.”

 

“Peanut,” Finn said, in as sweet a tone as he could manage.  “I was actually hoping you might have a place where Poe could stay while we investigate.”

 

She looked Poe over and rolled her eyes.  “I’m sure I can figure something out.”

 

“Thanks,” Finn said.  “And then, I want you to go talk to your buddies over at Nima Outpost, see if any of them have heard anything about Lor San Tekka.”

 

Rey nodded.  “Well, come on,” she said to Poe.  “Let’s get you hidden.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Rey pounded on the door to a seedy apartment in the worst part of town.  “I know you’re in there,” she hissed between knocks.  “You’re always in there.”

 

“All I’m saying,” Poe said, “is that I can help with the investigating.”

 

Rey snorted.

 

“I might be useful, and this way, I wouldn’t have to intrude on your friend’s hospitality.”

 

Rey chuckled.  “Who says Artoo is my friend?” 

 

She was poised to knock again when a short, bald man yanked the door open.  “It’s way too early, Rey.”

 

“It’s three in the afternoon, Artoo,” she said, shoving Poe into the apartment.  “Meet your new roommate.  You need to keep him out of sight for a few days while Finn and I do some running around, okay?”

 

“Rey, this isn’t a boarding house.”

 

Rey leaned in until she was nearly nose to nose with the man.  “Yeah?  Well, you don’t do this and I’m going to be sure to tell Threepio just how uncooperative you—”

 

“Fine, Rey,” the man said, already closing the door.  “Happy to help.”

 

“Threepio?”

 

“My parole officer,” the man muttered.  He turned and stretched out his hands. “Welcome to my humble abode!”

 

Poe looked around the dingy one-room apartment.  “Uh, thanks?”

 

“It ain’t much, but…”  Artoo shook his head.  “Wanna beer?”

 

Poe chuckled.  “Sure.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Finn leaned against the building across the street from Lor San Tekka’s house.  The police had left about two hours ago, but he wasn’t taking any chances.  As night fell, he closed his eyes, willing himself to relax after a long day.

 

After he’d sent Rey and Poe away, he’d started reaching out to contacts across the city—people he trusted—to see what he could find out about the murder.  What he found out wasn’t good.  Some of his informants claimed that it was an enforcer of Leia Organa’s called Black One—the nine of hearts was the guy’s calling card, after all.  Others claimed that this was Snoke’s people setting Organa up.  To add to that, Snoke had Hux, the current chief of police, personally investigating Tekka’s murder, and as if that weren’t shady enough, word on the street was that Snoke had asked his enforcer, Kylo Ren, to track Poe down.  Finn sighed, opening his eyes.  _Let’s hope I find something in there._

 

He spared one more look at the block before sprinting across the street and into the alley next to Tekka’s brownstone.

 

It didn’t take Finn long to jimmy open a side door to the residence, but he still took his time once he got inside—just in case Snoke left any of his thugs on guard duty. 

 

Finn crept up from the basement to the first floor, stopping every so often to listen for sounds, but thankfully, the place seemed empty.  Finn turned on his flashlight, being sure to keep the beam low, and searched for the old man’s study.  When he found it, he muttered, “You weren’t kidding, were you, Poe?”

 

The place looked thoroughly sacked. 

 

Finn started going through the mess, and he’d been in the house about ten minutes when he heard a distinctive creak on the basement stairs. 

 

 


	2. Red Wind

 

 

Finn clicked off his flashlight and moved to stand beside the door to the study.  He held his breath as he heard someone creeping down the hall.

 

There was a beam of light on the floor and then that someone walked in.

 

Finn grabbed the person’s arm and shoved them into the door.  He pressed into them.  “Who are you and what are you doing here,” he hissed.

 

“It’s me,” a man whispered back.

 

“Me?”

 

The man turned his head and flashed Finn a dazzling smile.  “Yeah, me.  Poe.”

 

Finn groaned, letting go of the other man.  “Poe, what in the kriff are you doing here?”

 

“I thought I could help.”

 

Finn threw up his hands.  “You’re a suspect in a murder investigation.  If they find you, the nicest thing that Snoke’s men are going to do is arrest you.  More likely, they’ll just shoot you.”

 

“So, I make sure they don’t find me.”

 

Finn rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, well, that’s a lot easier if you stay in hiding and don’t come back to the scene of the crime.”

 

“Well, _you’re_ here,” Poe said defensively.

 

“Because you hired me!”  Finn shook his head.  “Seriously, Dameron!  It’s like you want them to catch you!”

 

“No,” Poe hissed, following Finn around Tekka’s desk.  “It’s like I don’t want to sit around doing nothing.”

 

Finn could appreciate that sentiment, but the truth of the matter was, Poe’s penchant for recklessness could get him killed. 

 

“Please,” Poe begged.  “I’ll be quiet.”  He flashed Finn the biggest doe eyes Finn had ever seen.

 

_Kriff._   “Fine,” Finn said.  “You help me search the house, but then, you’re going back into hiding, okay?”

 

Poe held up two fingers.  “Scout’s honor.”

 

“It’s three fingers,” Finn said.  “And you’re doing it wrong.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Poe said.  “Never was much of a boy scout.”  He winked at Finn.

 

_How does someone make_ that _sound like a come on?_  “Just be quiet and search,” Finn said.

 

“Quiet.  Of course.  I can do that.  I can be as—”

 

Finn clapped his hand over Poe’s mouth.  “Quiet.  As in not talking.”

 

“Got it,” Poe muttered from behind Finn’s hand.

 

Finn raised an eyebrow.

 

“Sorry,” Poe mumbled.

 

Finn closed his eyes and slowly removed his hand.  He opened them, daring Poe to speak.  Poe pretended to zip his lips shut and throw away the key.

 

Finn went back to the desk.

 

“Ummmm,” Poe started.

 

Finn shot him a look.

 

_Sorry,_ Poe mouthed.  He started humming.

 

Finn shook his head with a groan.

 

“Sorry,” Poe whispered.  He pressed his lips together tight.

 

After a few minutes, Poe wandered out of the room, and Finn relaxed.  He started searching the desk in earnest.  That’s when he noticed something odd.  The bottom left desk drawer wasn’t the right size.  Finn looked at the outside of it and then the inside.  “False bottom,” he whispered.  He started feeling around.  _There’s a trigger around here somewhere._   Sure enough, there was a little indentation just inside the drawer.  He pushed it and the bottom of the drawer sprung open, revealing a small panel underneath.  There were some papers and a ledger inside.  “Poe,” Finn hissed.  “Poe?”

 

He grabbed the papers and the ledger and closed the secret panel and then the drawer.  Clutching his find to his chest, he wandered out into the hall. 

 

Poe was two doors down in Tekka’s library, staring at a framed photo on the wall.

 

“Poe,” Finn hissed.  “I think I found something.”

 

“Me too,” Poe said, his eyes never moving from the photo.  “That’s Tekka with my dad and Han Solo.  The Red Wind crew.”

 

“Han Solo, the General?”  _Red Wind crew?_

 

Poe nodded.  “You’re always safe when there’s a red wind at your back,” he muttered.  “Tekka used to say that.”  He reached out and took the photo off the wall.  He turned it around, frowning.

 

“It’s just a photo,” Finn said, walking forward.

 

Poe shook his head.  “No.”  He started feeling along the paper backing.  “Tekka liked puzzles and riddles and…”  He looked at the bundle in Finn’s hand.  “What did you find?”

 

“Hidden panel in a drawer.  There’s a ledger and some papers.”

 

Poe smiled.  “Sounds about right.”  His fingers stopped.  “And,” he said, pulling at the backing and revealing a tattered piece of paper hidden behind it, “we have something here as well.”  Poe pulled the paper out.

 

Finn heard a sound at the front door.  “Kriff,” he whispered.  “We need to go.”

 

Poe put the photo back up on the wall and he and Finn jogged to the basement.  They were just down the stairs when they heard footsteps on the first floor.  Finn pointed to the side door and they stood beside it, listening for anyone in the alley.

 

Poe shrugged.

 

_Gonna have to try,_ Finn thought.  He slowly opened the door and peered out.  It looked empty.  He nodded to Poe, who went out.  Finn followed and the two went down the alley towards the back of Tekka’s place.  “Come on,” Finn whispered, “let’s get back to my office.”

 

The two jogged off into the night.

 

**# # # #**

 

Twenty minutes later, Finn sat down, studying the ledger.  Poe followed him into the office and perched on the side of his desk, scanning the papers Finn had found.

 

Poe made a noise and leaned towards Finn, holding out the piece of paper he’d found in the frame.  For a moment, Finn was taken in by just how close Poe was to him.  He could smell the faint aroma of oil and cinnamon, and he felt his whole body warm up slightly.  He stared up into Poe’s eyes, thinking, _a guy could drown in those_.

 

And then, Finn heard his name. 

 

“Finn?”

 

“Finn?”

 

“Uh, yeah.”

 

 “I said, it’s a map,” Poe said.

 

_Keep it together, Smith!_   Finn took the map and his blood chilled.  _Holy kriff._  “This is what they were looking for,” he whispered.

 

“How can you be sure?”

 

“Oh, I’m sure.”

 

“Why?  What is it?”

 

“It’s a map to Luke Skywalker.”

 

“Luke Skywalker?” Poe went pale.  “Isn’t he just a legend?”

 

Finn shook his head.  “Oh no.  He’s real.”  He leaned back into his chair, looking over at Poe.  “What in the kriff did you get yourself mixed up in?”

 

Poe smiled, his eyes crinkling.  “No idea, but it’s starting to get exciting.”

 

Finn groaned.  “No, Poe.”

 

“What do you mean, _no, Poe_?”

 

“I mean, I haven’t known you long, but I know that look.  We are not going after Luke Skywalker.”

 

“But he’s the key to this!”

 

“No, he isn’t, and you seem to forget that everyone still thinks you killed Lor San Tekka.”

 

“Details!  Don’t bog me down with details,” Poe said, standing and pacing.

 

“No, Poe, you promised,” Finn said following him.  “The deal was, I let you search at Tekka’s and then you go back into hiding.”

 

“But that was before we knew what this is about!”

 

Finn grabbed Poe’s shoulders and leaned in.  “This isn’t a game, Poe.  Snoke’s men are serious, and if this really has to do with Luke Skywalker, then I think it’s a bit out of your league.”

 

Poe opened his mouth to argue and then gave Finn an over-exaggerated pout.  “Just because I’m not technically a PI doesn’t mean I can’t help!”

 

“Well, actually…”

 

Poe put his hands on his hips.  “And who found the map?”

 

Finn closed his eyes.  “Poe—”

 

“No.  These jerks have framed me.  I’m a part of this.”

 

“Poe, I can’t protect you if you—”

 

“I’m not asking you to protect me.  I’m asking you to help me solve this murder.”

 

Poe leaned forward, making his eyes big.

 

“I know what you’re trying to do.”  Finn pointed to Poe’s eyes.  “With the big eyes and fluttering eyelashes.”

 

“Yeah,” Poe laughed, “is it working?”

 

Finn groaned and walked back towards his desk.  “No.”

 

“You sure?”

 

_Kriff._  

 

“Please, Finn,” Poe begged, his voice syrupy-sweet.

 

_I am so kriffing kriffed._  

 

“Pleeeeeeeeeease?”

 

“Fine,” Finn said.  “Where do you want to start?”

 

Poe clapped his hands.  “That’s more like it.”

 

“I’m out of my mind,” Finn muttered.

 

“Thank goodness for that,” Poe said, sitting in the chair across from Finn’s.  “What did you find out today?”

 

Finn pulled out his notes.  “Lor San Tekka, eighty-six years old.  By all indications, in good health.  War hero.”  Finn looked up.  “Used to hang out with that Rebellion group.  Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo.  A Kes Dameron came up a time or two.  I’m assuming that’s your…”

 

“Dad.  Yeah.”

 

Finn nodded and made a notation.  “Tekka hung around with a lot of the people who’ve been trying to get our esteemed Mayor Snoke out of office for the past few years.  No evidence that he was actively maneuvering against Snoke—”

 

“Although he probably was.”

 

“That’s what I figured.”  Finn chewed on his pencil.  “Then, there’s the calling card left at the scene, a nine of hearts.”

 

Poe tensed.

 

Finn continued, reading from his notebook, “Nine of hearts, the trademark of an enforcer called Black One.  One of Leia Organa’s men, but according to my sources, he’s been out of the game for the last few years.”  Finn looked up at Poe.  “I guess he’s back.”

 

Poe grit his teeth together.  “Or someone wants to make this look like Black One.”

 

“Perhaps,” Finn said, scribbling something down.  “But why frame both of you?  It doesn’t make any sense.”

 

Poe opened his mouth, as if to say something, and then shut it.  “What else?”

 

“My biggest question is why now?  And why implicate you?”

 

“Well, we have to assume he was going to give me the map.”

 

“Yeah, but Luke Skywalker has been gone for years.  What good is it gonna do if he comes back now?”

 

Poe worried his bottom lip for a moment.  “What if Luke knows how to interpret that ledger or something?  Or it’s one piece and Luke has the other?”

 

Finn nodded.  “I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the person who sent you to Tekka was Leia Organa.”

 

Poe didn’t meet Finn’s eyes.

 

“I’m going to take that as a _yes,”_ Finn said, “Okay then _,_ so let’s assume that this wasn’t Organa setting you up and that she has something on Snoke, but she needs something from Luke to make it work.”

 

“Leia didn’t set me up,” Poe said, defensively.

 

“Fine,” Finn said, scribbling into his notebook.

 

“Okay, so Snoke catches on somehow…”

 

“Yeah, and that _somehow_ worries me.”

 

Poe looked confused.

 

“Because it most likely means that Snoke has someone inside Leia’s inner circle.”

 

Poe leaned back in his chair.  “Someone who didn’t mind framing me for murder.”

 

“You have any enemies?”

 

Poe laughed.  “Yeah, but they’re all Snoke’s people.  Terex.  Hux.  Malarus.”  Poe shook his head.  “I’ve managed to piss off some of the most powerful players in town.”

 

“Then, how do you work?”

 

Poe flashed him that winning smile.  “I’m beautiful and talented.”

 

Finn rolled his eyes.

 

“Hey!  It’s true.”

 

“Yeah, well, I think Snoke just made it harder for you to get by on your charm, friend.”

 

“ _Beautiful AND talented_ is what I said.”

 

“You’re missing the point.”

 

“True,” Poe said, chewing at his lip again.

 

_That is kriffing distracting_ , Finn thought.  _Focus!_   “What about this Black One?  Could he have done this?  Maybe he’s switched sides?”

 

“It wasn’t Black One,” Poe said.

 

“But how can you be—”

 

“It wasn’t Black One.  The card is a frame-up,” Poe said, refusing to meet Finn’s eyes.

 

_Thought so._   Finn stood.  _It’s always the pretty ones who have the dark pasts, isn’t it?_   And then with an inward chuckle, he reminded himself, _Isn’t that your story as well, Smith?_   Finn cleared his throat.  “Okay, assuming that’s the case, then, as I see it, that means we have at least three problems.”

 

“Three?”

 

“One, someone in Leia’s inner circle is supplying Snoke with information.”

 

“And whoever that is, we’re gonna have some real mean words real soon.”

 

“Two, we have the map to Luke Skywalker, but if you try to go find him, you might get caught, and if I go, that leaves you here unprotected.”

 

Poe snorted.  “I’m not some damsel in distress.”

 

Finn raised an eyebrow.

 

“Well,” Poe said, crossing his arms, “I’m not some damsel, at least.”

 

Finn smiled. 

 

“What’s three,” Poe asked.

 

“Three, even if we were to figure out the mole and get Luke Skywalker, it still doesn’t solve the mystery of who killed Tekka.”

 

“Kriff,” Poe said.

 

“Exactly.”

 

Poe’s carefully crafted façade—the charming indifference he usually wore on his face—fell.   He stared into the office, his leg jiggling up and down.  “What about Rey,” he finally said.

 

“What about her?”

 

“Could you send her after Skywalker?”

 

Finn nodded.  “Yeah.  Yeah, we could.” He picked up his phone and dialed her number.  “Peanut!  Yes, I know he ran away from Artoo’s.  Yes…yes…He’s here with me, actually.”  Poe could hear her yelling into the phone.  “Uh, yes.  I will.”  Finn shot Poe a deadly look and then put his hand over the receiver.  “You got him drunk?”

 

“How else was I supposed to get away?  And he offered me a beer first!”

 

Finn sighed.  “Hey, peanut, how would you like to go out of town for a few days?”

 

**# # # #**

 

After the phone call with Rey, Finn stood and walked over to his window.  “Now, the issue is figuring out who the mole is and finding the killer.”

 

Poe stood and walked over to the window next to Finn.  “So, what’s the plan?”

 

“I still need to talk to some of my informants.  See if anyone saw anything the night Tekka was murdered.  And I have a friend, someone placed high up in Snoke’s organization, but…”

 

“But?”

 

“She could get hurt if we bungle this.  I only want to call on her as a last resort.”

 

“Okay,” Poe said.  He looked over at Finn and couldn’t help but get lost in the way his eyes seemed to glow in the streetlights and neon signs from across the street.

 

Finn looked over.  “I guess that means we’re stuck here for the night.”

 

Poe raised an eyebrow as a smile slowly spread across his face.  “All night?”

 

“Don’t get any ideas, Dameron.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Poe smiled, producing a deck of cards from inside his jacket.  “But I do play a mean game of rummy.”

 

Finn laughed.  “Great.  I’ll go get some grub and then I’ll clean you out at rummy.”

 

Poe shook his head.  “We’ll see.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Finn looked over his cards, trying hard not to smile.  Poe was a decent player—not that there was a lot of skill in rummy—but all the same, Finn appreciated that there was a brain behind the beauty.

 

Poe winked at him.  “You gonna draw or are we gonna grow old here?”

 

Finn sighed, drawing a card from the stack, and then smiled, laying down a meld.

 

“Kriff,” Poe spit out.

 

“Sorry, Dameron.  I guess I’m just having a good night.”

 

“Next time, when we have more than the two of us, I’m starting a poker game and we’ll see how good your night is then.”

 

“So much talk,” Finn said with a chuckle.

 

Poe drew a card and rolled his eyes.  “You’d think lady luck might look kindly on the guy who’s on the lam for murder, but…”

 

Finn put down his cards for a moment.  “Tell me, how is it that Leia asks _you_ to go see Tekka?”

 

Poe shrugged.  “Like I said, he was an old family friend and—”

 

“Yeah, I get the official story, but…”  Finn shook his head.  “She has people working for her, just like Snoke does, and you’re telling me there wasn’t one of them that would’ve gone?”  Poe studied Finn for a moment and Finn could sense his hesitation.  Finn leaned forward.  “What say if I win the next round, you come clean?”

 

Poe’s eyes went hard for a split second and then that carefully-crafted façade fell back into place and there was a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.  “And what do I get if I win?”

 

“You don’t have to tell me?”

 

Poe shook his head.  “No.”  His eyes narrowed slightly and there was a devilish look in them.  “If I win, I get a kiss.”

 

“A what,” Finn squeaked.

 

“You heard me, Smith.  I win, I get a kiss.”

 

Finn blinked.  He then tried to compose himself.  _He’s just trying to shake you._   He leaned back.  “Sure, Dameron.  You win, I’ll give you a kiss.”

 

“On the lips.”

 

“On the lips.”

 

“At least thirty seconds long.”

 

“Put a lot of thought into this, have you?”

 

Poe chuckled.  “Yes, I have.”

 

Finn blushed and looked down at his cards.  “Whose turn is it?  Is it your turn or mine or…”  He pretended to study the cards on the table.

 

**# # # #**

 

Finn was sweating.  They’d both played well, and their melds made them more or less even; they both had two cards left.  It was going to come down to who could get lucky first.

 

Finn tapped the sides of his cards, watching Poe draw.

 

Poe looked at the card and smiled.

 

Finn held his breath.

 

Poe held the smile for another moment before saying, “Your turn.”

 

_Thank goodness._

 

Poe cocked an eyebrow.  “You know, you could give a guy a complex.  Make him think he isn’t kissable.”

 

Finn nearly dropped his cards at that.  He reached over and drew.  “YES!”  He didn’t even bother hiding his glee as he put his last meld down on the table.  “I win.”

 

Poe nodded, and he looked disappointed.

 

Finn didn’t know what to make of it.  _He didn’t really want to kiss me.  It was just…_

_No.  He was just trying to throw me off my game._ “Talk, Dameron,” Finn said, leaning back.

 

Poe stretched his neck.  “So, maybe I wasn’t entirely forthcoming yesterday…”

 

“No,” Finn said in mock shock.

 

“I am a musician and Tekka was an old family friend, but,” he shrugged, “from time to time, I do…odd jobs for Leia.”

 

“Odd jobs?”

 

“Drop a package off here.  Pick one up there.” 

 

Finn knew there was more to the story, but it wasn’t the right time to press, so he pretended to buy it.  “And you thought this wasn’t pertinent because?”

 

“Because I was trying to keep her out of it.”

 

“And?”

 

“Who says there’s an _and_?”

 

“I do.”

 

Poe pushed back from the table, running a hand through his curls.  “Fine,” he said.  “I was also pissed.”  He turned to Finn.  “I’ve been doing this long enough that I should’ve…”  He threw his hands up in the air.  “It was a trap and I walked straight into it.”  He fell back against the nearest wall.  “What if I screwed up Leia’s plans?”  He shook his head.  “What if…”

 

Finn got up.  He walked over, putting his hand on Poe’s shoulder.  “You didn’t screw up her plans.  You got away, and we found the map, and I promise you, I’m going to find whoever killed Lor San Tekka and make them pay.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“It’s my job,” Finn said with a smile.  He squeezed Poe’s shoulder.  “Now, come on.  We both need our sleep.  Long day tomorrow.”  He started to walk back to his desk chair.

 

“Wait, where are you sleeping?”

 

Finn pointed to his chair.

 

“And where am I sleeping?”

 

Finn pointed to the couch.

 

“No,” Poe said, walking over and taking Finn’s arm and dragging him to the couch.  “Your office, you get the couch.”

 

“You’re my guest…”

 

“I’m the guy who turned your life upside down.  I’ll take the chair.”  Poe walked over and fell into it.  “I like chairs.”  He scooted back into it.  “See?  Comfy?”

 

Finn laughed.  “Whatever.”  He sat down on the couch, pulling off his shoes.  “You snore or anything?”

 

“Nope.  Quiet as a mouse.”

 

“Good,” Finn said lying down.  He looked over.  “Night.”

 

“Night, Finn.”  Poe leaned back in the chair, but he didn’t go to sleep.  He watched the beautiful man on the couch and worried over who in the Resistance was a no-good, dirty mole.

 

 


	3. The Bronze Door

 

 

Finn leaned against the stoop, seemingly reading a racing form.  The kid standing next to him—Bee, they called her—had a mop of orange curls on top of her head and a smattering of freckles across her nose.  Finn figured she was twelve or thirteen, but he knew better than to ask.  Bee had a nasty habit of kicking shins if you asked too many personal questions.

 

“It was the guy that wears the mask.  That scary one who does all of Snoke’s hits.”

 

“Kylo Ren?”  Finn tried to keep the excitement from his voice.  “You sure?”

 

The girl nodded, pretending to tie her shoe.  “Saw him myself.  Me and Kaydel hang out in that part of town.  Tekka had a bad habit of leaving doors unlocked.”  She shook her head with a sigh.  “He had the best food…”

 

“So, you can place Ren there.  Anyone else?”

 

“That tall blonde lady.  The one they call the Captain.”

 

“Phasma,” Finn whispered.

 

“Yep.”  Bee stood pulling at a stray thread unraveling off her sleeve.  “The two of them, they went in.  Ten minutes later, they left and those other goons, the Stormtroopers, they showed up.”  She laughed.  “Then, about twenty minutes later that idiot musician shows up—walked right into their trap.”

 

“Thanks, kid.”  Finn discretely held out a sawbuck. 

 

Bee snatched it.  “Don’t mention it,” she said, already running off.

 

Finn closed his eyes, hating what he was going to have to do next.

 

**# # # #**

 

He’d left word with a mutual friend, and now, he just had to wait.

 

The Bronze Door, as it was affectionately known—because the front door to the place looked to be made of bronze—was Maz Kanata’s place on Takodana Street.  Finn didn’t even know the real name of the place.  Everyone just called it “The Bronze Door.”

 

And pretty much everyone in town used it as a meeting spot because it was always dark and always loud, and it was the kind of place where people knew to mind their own business, so, Finn hoped, no one would look too hard when his friend appeared.

 

 _If_ she got the message.

 

He tapped his fingers against the rim of his glass, a finger of whiskey still settled in the bottom.

 

“You gonna drink that,” a familiar voice asked as a tall, blonde woman slid into the booth across from him.

 

Finn’s fingers stopped, he grabbed the glass and downed it all in one quick motion.

 

“I guess so,” she said.  She leaned forward. “Why am I here, Finn?”

 

Finn had to appreciate the delicate situation they were in, but he needed confirmation.  “Sorry, Phasma, I just…”  He leaned forward, whispering, “Word is that Kylo Ren is the one who hit Tekka.”

 

“Word is that it was an enforcer they call Black One.”

 

Finn snorted.  “Phasma, I’m just asking if—”

 

She leaned back, raising an eyebrow.  “You know better than to drag me out here asking that.”

 

“Phas—”

 

“No,” she hissed.  “We have ground rules, and those rules keep both of us safe.  You’re asking me to break those rules.”

 

“No, I’m asking you to confirm something I’ve heard.”

 

She sighed.  “Ren and Tekka were alone together.  I heard a noise.  When I went back into the room, Tekka was dead.”

 

Finn leaned back and nodded.  “Thanks.”  He tapped his finger against his empty glass. “Why use the nine of hearts if you already had Dameron dead to rights?”

 

Phasma shrugged.  “That was Ren’s call.”

 

Finn nodded.  “Do I want to know who Black One is?”

 

Phasma gave him a sad smile.  “Don’t you know already?”

 

Finn sighed.  _Needed confirmation._

 

_Crap._

 

She shook her head.  “What’s going on, Finn?”

 

“Black—"  He cleared his throat and started over, "Poe…he hired me to find Tekka’s real killer.”

 

“Kriff.” Her eyes were wide.  “Why in the hell did you take the job?  If Snoke figures out who you are and that you’re still alive…”

 

“That won’t happen.”

 

She didn’t look convinced.  “It’s more than your neck on the line.”

 

“There’s no way anyone knows who helped me get out.”

 

“There’s only so many people it could’ve been, and I think we can all rule out Hux.”

 

“I’ll make sure to keep you out of it.”

 

“Yeah, right,” Phasma said.  She leaned back against the booth with a long sigh.  “Well, at least tell me he’s good in bed.”

 

“What?”

 

“Dameron.  I assume you’re sleeping with him.  Why else would you go this far out on a limb?”

 

“I’m not sleeping with him,” Finn said.

 

Phasma raised an eyebrow.  “Seriously?”

 

“Seriously.”

 

She studied Finn for a moment and then closed her eyes, shaking her head.  “Oh kriff, you have it bad, don’t you?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Right,” she said.  She pulled an envelope out of her jacket and slid it over.  “Figured you might be sniffing around Ren, so I brought you everything I know.”

 

She made to leave.

 

“You don’t know who he is?”

 

“No.  Never seen his face.  Snoke keeps him on a tight leash.  I’m pretty sure the only other person who has ever seen his face is Hux, and he ain’t talking.”  She stood and started to leave.  “Be careful, Finn.  Snoke thought this was going to be his master stroke, and now that Dameron’s on the loose and whatever Tekka was hiding is lost, well…”  She leaned in.  “It’s about to get dangerous around here.”

 

“Thanks,” Finn said.  “Be careful.”

 

“I will,” she said, slinking out of the bar.

 

Finn waited another ten minutes before making his exit out the back.

 

**# # # #**

 

“Finally,” Poe huffed out as Finn came back into the office.  “Do you know how boring this place is?”

 

Finn shrugged out of his jacket and walked back into his office.  “Sorry.  I was trying to find the murderer.  Next time, I’ll just stay here and play with you instead.”

 

“Promise?”

 

Finn looked up to see Poe fluttering his eyelashes.

 

He sighed and slapped the envelope onto his desk.  “The good news is, we know who killed Tekka.”

 

“Great!  Who?”

 

“Kylo Ren.”

 

“Fantastic!”

 

“No, not fantastic.  Kylo Ren is a fake name, and no one knows who he really is.  Only that he’s tall and moody and he’s killed more people in this town than the flu.”

 

Finn sat down and started studying the papers from the envelope.  Poe walked around and perched on the edge of the desk. 

 

Phasma’s words earlier flittered through his brain, and Finn was suddenly hyper-aware of the very nice leg dangling right next to his arm.  He frowned and put the papers down.  “Would you…um…get off my desk?”

 

Poe pursed his lips together, as if considering it.  “Why?”

 

“Because…”  Finn fought hard against the blush rising across his cheeks.  “Just get off the desk.”

 

“But I’m comfortable,” Poe said, pretending to pout.

 

Finn heaved out a sigh and stood, walking to the other side of the desk.

 

Poe laughed and jumped off.  “I didn’t know it was that big a problem.”  He pointed to the couch across the office.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll go sit in a far less…dangerous spot.”

 

Finn turned his back to Poe, refusing to let the other man get a rise out of him.  He then bit his cheek at the thought of the double entendre Poe would make with that.  Finn closed his eyes.  _Concentrate, Smith!_   He looked back at the papers, ignoring the noises Poe was now making over on the couch.

 

“Comfy,” Poe said, throwing his legs up and leaning back.  “I might even fall asleep.”

 

“Then do so.  Quietly,” Finn said over his shoulder.  “Some of us have a murder to solve.”  He turned and gave Poe his most serious stare.  “Unless you want to go to jail?”

 

“No.  Solve away, Mister Smith.  It’s what I’m paying you for.”

 

“You aren’t paying me anything.”

 

“Not yet,” Poe said, leaning back and closing his eyes.  “But don’t worry.”

 

Finn wanted to bite back with some smart remark, but Poe—all stretched out on his couch, eyes closed, and a silly, lopsided grin on his face—was giving Finn ideas.  Decidedly unprofessional ideas.

 

He turned towards the window and stuck his nose in the papers.  _Focus, Smith_.

 

**# # # #**

 

Finn had been studying Phasma’s papers for over an hour.  He went back to his desk and looked over at Poe, who was dozing on his couch.

 

He sat down, scribbling into his notebook.  “Okay, we know that he came to town six years ago as Snoke’s enforcer.  No reports of him before that.  Supposedly moody.  Given to violent outbursts.  Over six foot tall.”

 

“Say that last part again,” Poe said.

 

Finn looked over.  Poe’s eyes were still closed.  “I said he’s over six foot tall.”

 

“And he started working for Snoke six years ago?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“My informant seems to think he’s in his late twenties or early thirties, but doesn’t have any definite proof.”

 

Poe sat up, his head falling into his hands.  “Kriffing hell.”  He stood.  “Kriffing hell,” he growled.

 

“What?”

 

“Let me guess.  Your informant also notices that Kylo Ren disappears for days at a time and then comes back just before a big hit is about to go down.”

 

“Yeah.  How did you know that?”

 

“I know who Kylo Ren is.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Ben Solo,” Poe said.  “Ben freaking Solo.”

 

“Leia Organa’s son?”

 

“Yeah.

 

“That means he’s also the…  Oh kriff.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Finn pulled open his bottom desk drawer and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.  He unscrewed it and took a swig.  He then held it out for Poe, who came over and took a long drink.  “So now what?”

 

“I don’t know.  You still want to move forward with this,” Finn asked.

 

“Don’t have much choice, unless I want to keep living here for the rest of my life.”  Poe sat on the edge of Finn’s desk again.  He handed the whiskey back.

 

 _Would that be so bad_ , Finn thought as he took another drink.  He shook his head.  _Stop with the silly daydreams, Smith_.  He handed the bottle back. 

 

Poe took a drink.  “Now what?”

 

“Now we wait for Rey.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Two days later, Rey walked into the office to find Poe and Finn both frowning at a chess board. 

 

Poe spotted her first.  “Oh, thank goodness,” he said, rushing to her and enveloping her in a bear hug.  “I was pretty sure I was going to have to fling myself from a window if we had to keep that up.”

 

Finn was carefully putting the board and pieces away.  “That’s because you were losing, Poe.”

 

“That’s because chess is boring, Finn.”

 

Rey looked from Poe to Finn and back to Poe, a strange look in her eye.  “Ummmmmm…”

 

“Any news on Skywalker,” Finn asked, rising and giving Rey a quick hug.

 

She nodded and pointed to the front room where an older man with a grey beard was standing next to the door.

 

Finn smiled.  “Mister Skywalker, it is an honor.”  He walked forward and shook the man’s hand.  “I’m Finn Smith and this is Poe Dameron.”

 

A strange look crossed over Skywalker’s features.  “Any relation to—”

 

“Kes Dameron?  Yeah, he’s my father.”

 

The older man smiled.  He looked around.  “Rey said there was something I needed to look at?”

 

“In here,” Finn said, ushering him into the office.  “You can take my chair, Mister Skywalker.”

 

“Luke is fine,” he said, sitting.  He pulled the ledger towards him with a hum.  “Let’s see what our old friend left for me.”

 

Poe, Finn, and Rey stood on the other side of the desk, eagerly waiting for good news.

 

**# # # #**

 

Thirty minutes later, Poe was sprawled across the couch throwing a lighter into the air and catching it.  Rey was curled up in one of the chairs, playing with the hem of her skirt, and Finn was pacing back and forth across the room. 

 

Luke gave a quick nod, closed the ledger, and leaned back with a smile.  “Okay.”

 

Finn froze.  “And?”

 

Poe sat up.  Rey uncurled herself.

 

“And,” Luke said, “with what I have and what I’m sure my sister has, we finally have enough to take Snoke down.”

 

Poe jumped into the air.  “Yeah!”

 

Finn grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.  “Yes!”

 

Poe’s eyes caught Finn’s and for a second, both of them held their breaths.

 

Rey laughed, watching them, and both seemed to remember where they were.  They jerked apart.

 

“So, uh, what’s the plan,” Finn asked.

 

“The plan,” Luke said, rising.  “Is that bright and early tomorrow morning, Miss Kenobi and I are going to take these documents to the Governor.  Lando is an old friend of mine, and I know he’s been looking for a way to put Snoke away for years.  I’m hoping that he’ll send in the state police and that by tomorrow night, Snoke will be a distant memory.”

 

Finn smiled.

 

“Ummm,” Poe hummed.  “There’s another issue.”

 

“Yes,” Luke asked.

 

“We know who killed Lor San Tekka.  It’s the same person who has been acting as a double agent in the Resistance.”

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Kylo Ren,” Poe said.  “Otherwise known as Ben Solo.”

 

Luke grasped the desk to steady himself.  “Ben,” he whispered.  He looked up.  “Are you sure?”

 

Finn nodded.  “I have confirmation from Phasma herself.”

 

“The Captain is your informant?”

 

“Yeah,” Finn said.  “She’s the one who helped me get out of…”  Finn’s voice trailed off _.  Crap._

 

“Finn,” Rey asked.

 

Finn had the look of an animal caught in a trap.

 

“Finn?”  Poe stepped forward.

 

Finn shook his head and backed up.  “No, it’s fine.”  _Might as well._   “It’s just, I’ve never told anyone…” Finn sighed and slumped onto the couch.  “My parents died when I was ten, and…I didn’t have any other family so…so I ended up on the streets.  Fell in with a bad crowd.  That’s how I met Phasma, actually.  Anyway, we got recruited by Snoke and pretty soon, we were doing his dirty work.”

 

Rey made a shocked noise.  “Nothing like that, peanut.  Picking pockets and breaking into houses.  He’d send us into a neighborhood to increase the crime and then step in and offer the people there ‘protection’.”  Finn laughed.  “Protection from him, as it turned out.”  He leaned back, closing his eyes.  “There was this kid who ran with us.  His name was Slip.  Anyway, one night, we had a robbery go wrong and Slip…Slip…”  Finn’s breath hitched.  “He didn’t make it.”  Finn shook his head.  “After that, I wanted out.”  He looked up at them, his eyes watery.  “I knew what Snoke was making us do was wrong and I just couldn’t…”

 

Rey moved over and sat next to him.  “Finn, it’s okay.”

 

Finn nodded, wiping his arm across his eyes.  “So Phasma figures out a way for me to disappear.  See, my name isn’t Finn Smith.  Or at least, that wasn’t my name back then.  I was F.N. Taylor.  But he…he died one night.  Fell into the East River.”  He took Rey’s hand and squeezed it.  “Phasma gave me some money, introduced me to some people, and made sure I got out of town.  After that, I moved around for a while.”  He turned to Poe and Luke.  “Met Rey in Jakku, and when I came back here two months ago, I had my PI’s license and I was Finn Smith.”

 

“Kriff,” Poe said, and then it dawned on him.  “We can’t go through with the plan.”

 

“What,” Rey asked.  “What plan?”

 

“We came up with a way to trap Ren and possibly Hux,” Finn said.

 

“But we’re not doing it now,” Poe said.  “It’s too dangerous.”

 

“Poe,” Finn started.

 

“No,” Poe insisted.  “If Snoke makes you, or one of his other people does, they’ll be gunning for you.”

 

“They’ll be gunning for me anyway.  Besides, if everything goes to plan, Snoke and his people will be behind bars by this time tomorrow night.”

 

Poe looked to Rey and then to Luke, hoping one of them would back him up.  When neither did, he shook his head, marching out of the office.  “Fine!”  He stomped around the front room.  “Fine!  Let’s all go get killed.  It’ll be fun.”

 

“Poe,” Rey said.

 

Finn shook his head.  “Let me deal with him.”  He got up and went into the front room.

 

“This is crazy, Finn.”

 

“No, it isn’t,” Finn said.  He stood in Poe’s way, his hands on his hips.  “This is a way to make sure that no other kids have to grow up under Snoke’s thumb.”

 

Poe stepped up to Finn.  “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

 

Finn gave him a smile.  “Well, it’s a good thing that I’m a trained private eye, then, isn’t it?”

 

“Be serious.”

 

“I am being serious.  You really think I’d go ahead with this plan if I didn’t think it would work?”

 

Poe let his eyes fall closed.  “I don’t want you dying for me.”

 

“Good,” Finn said, reaching out and taking the other man’s shoulders.  “I don’t want to die.”

 

Rey stood in the doorway.  “I think you need to tell us about this plan of yours…”

 

**# # # #**

 

The next morning, Rey and Luke left before the sun had even risen, promising to call with a go/no-go signal by noon.

 

Sure enough, at 11:30, the phone rang.

 

Finn answered.  “Yes?  Yes…yes…okay.”  He hung up.  “We’re on.”

 

Poe took in a deep breath and reached for the phone.  He dialed Leia Organa’s number.  She picked up on the third ring.

 

“Leia?  It’s Poe.”

 

“Poe!  Where are you?  How are you?”

 

“I’m fine.  I’m…at a friend’s house.  I figured Snoke would be expecting me to go to your place and I…”  He closed his eyes.  “Are you okay?”

 

“Of course, I am,” Leia said.  “I’m worried about you, though.  We need to get you some protection, and a good lawyer.”

 

“I didn’t kill him,” Poe said.

 

“I know that,” Leia said, “but I also know that Snoke owns most of the judges in town.”

 

Poe looked to Finn, who nodded.  “I think it’s time for us to meet up.  My friend is going to move me to a house over on Starkiller Boulevard tonight around nine o’clock.”

 

“Just give me the address and I’ll be there,” Leia said.

 

“It’s 2187 Starkiller,” Poe said, “and just to be safe, you should probably bring some backup.”

 

“Of course,” Leia said.  She paused.  “Poe, are you sure you’re okay?”

 

“Just ready to be home,” Poe said.  He sighed.  “See you tonight.”

 

“See you tonight.”

 

Poe hung up the phone and leaned back.  “Now, we wait.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Leia walked back into her living room.

 

“Who was it,” her husband asked.

 

“Poe,” Leia said.

 

“Poe,” Ben asked, clearly startled.

 

Leia smiled.  “He’s safe.  We’re going to pick him up tonight.  He’s going to be at a house on Starkiller Boulevard.”

 

“Starkiller Boulevard,” Han asked.  “All the way over there?”

 

“Which house,” Ben asked. 

 

Leia looked at the note she’d scribbled down.  “It’s 2187 Starkiller.”  She frowned.  “We’re going to need to take some people.”

 

“I’ll get Chewie,” Han said.

 

“And I’ll ask Iolo and Nien,” Leia said.

 

“I should stay here,” Ben said.  “Man the phones in case anything goes south.”

 

Leia nodded.  “Okay.”  She took a deep breath.  “We should probably start getting ready.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Finn looked at the clock on the wall and stood.  He walked to a coat closet in the front room and stood in front of it frowning.  “You know your way around a gun,” he asked.

 

Poe walked up next to him.  “Yeah, I’m good.”  He reached into the closet, grabbed a shoulder holster and put it on.  He then grabbed a gun.  “This one okay?”

 

Finn nodded.  He turned and watched as Poe checked the gun and grabbed some extra bullets.  He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t.  _No distractions, Smith.  No even pretty ones._

 

Finn closed his eyes, trying to steel his nerves.

 

“Finn,” Poe said.

 

Finn opened his eyes to find the other man staring.  “Yeah?”

 

“Finn, I…the other night?  With the rummy and that bet?  I just…”

 

Finn forced himself to sound light.  He put a hand on Poe’s shoulder.  “Oh, no worries, I know you were only kidding.”

 

“Yeah, but see, here’s the thing,” Poe started.  He leaned in, his eyes deadly serious.  “Sometimes you pull the curtain back on a person’s soul, and you don’t like what you see, and I…I’ve done some things that I’m not proud of, but…”  He looked down.  “But these past few days with you, I’ve come to realize that maybe I could…I don’t know…”  He ran a hand through his curls.

 

“What are you trying to say, Poe?”

 

“I’m trying to tell you that I think I—”

 

The phone rang.

 

Finn wanted to scream.  He closed his eyes, let out a breath and said, “One minute.”  He jogged over and answered.  “Yeah?”  He listened intently and then hung up.  “Everything is set up at Starkiller.”  He walked back over to Poe.  “You were saying?”

 

Poe chickened out.  He shook his head.  “It was nothing.  Really.”

 

Finn didn’t let his face fall.  He took a breath and put a hand on Poe’s shoulder, wanting to tell Poe how he felt, but fearing that it would be too much.  He sighed.  “Just be careful, okay?”

 

Poe looked at Finn, and for a moment, Finn hoped.  Poe’s voice was quiet as he said, “Isn’t that my line?”  He gave Finn a charming smile.

 

Finn tried to smile but found he couldn’t.  “Just…I need you to make it out of this, okay?”

 

“I promise,” Poe said.  “You too?”  Poe held out his hand and Finn shook it.

 

“Promise,” Finn said.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No update tomorrow. You'll have to wait until Wednesday (Oct. 11) for chapter four. : )


	4. Trouble is my Business

 

 

Finn closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  _He was trying to let me down easy._

 

He let out the breath and opened his eyes.  _Besides, I don’t need any distractions.  Not tonight._

 

He chanced a glance at Poe and was a bit surprised to see that the normal, affable look in the man’s eyes was replaced with something deadly serious, steely.  “This isn’t the first time you’ve done something like this, is it,” Finn whispered.

 

Poe shook his head.  He didn’t elaborate.

 

Finn checked his watch.  They’d been in a room across the street from 2187 Starkiller for most of the evening, watching as both Snoke’s people and Leia Organa’s got into place.  It was a little disconcerting considering they were about to walk into what amounted to an elaborate trap, even if it was one they’d set up.

 

He was about to say as much when a car pulled up across the street.  A small woman got out.  Two men soon joined her.  One took her arm.  The other, a tall hairy man, seemed to growl out something as the three went up the stoop to the front door.

 

“That’s Leia, Han, and Chewie,” Poe whispered.

 

“I guess that’s our cue then,” Finn said, sparing one last look around the block.  He took a deep breath.  “Let’s do this.”

 

“Yep,” Poe said, checking his gun and walking to the door.

 

**# # # #**

 

The two of them walked across the street and jogged up the stoop, letting themselves into 2187.  “Leia,” Poe called out.  “You here?”

 

“Living room,” came her voice.

 

Poe stopped in the foyer and shook his head at Finn.  _Something’s wrong._

 

Finn nodded and pointed to a door that led to the back staircase.  Poe nodded and started for the living room.  He took a deep breath and tried to put on his most charming smile as he entered.

 

Kylo Ren, in his usual mask, had a gun on Leia.  Two underlings were holding Chewie and another had a gun on Han.  “So nice of you to join us,” Ren said.

 

Poe shrugged.  “Didn’t have anything better to do.”  He casually walked to the nearest chair and flopped into it.  “And you can take off the mask, Ben.  I know it’s you.”

 

Leia made a strange garbled sound.  Chewie struggled against his captors and Han’s head whipped over to Ren.  “Ben,” he asked.

 

Ben pulled down the mask.  “How did you figure it out?”

 

“How many moody six foot tall people are there in this town?”

 

Ren sneered, “Always so pithy.  I wonder how you’re going to sound when I shoot out both of your kneecaps?”

 

“You’re not going to shoot me," Poe said.  "At least not yet.” 

 

“And why’s that?”

 

“Because I found the map,” Poe said. “And I’m willing to trade for it.”

 

“What,” Leia said.

 

Poe shrugged.  “Look, I’ve never been as invested in this whole good guy/bad guy thing as the rest of you.  I figure, if I make a deal with Snoke, then maybe everyone will just let me get back to making my music in peace.”  His eyes flicked up at Ben.  “What do you say?”

 

“Show it to me.”

 

“Nope,” Poe said, making sure to pop the “P.”  “I’m only gonna hand it to Snoke himself.”

 

Ben laughed.  “You really think I’m going to drag him down here?”

 

“Well, then, at least Hux.”  Poe shook his head.  “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” he said with a smile, “Well, actually, it’s that I don’t trust you.”  He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head.  “So, if you want to deal, you’ll get Huxy here just as soon as possible.”

 

“Or I could just kill you now?”

 

“Ben, Ben, Ben,” Poe said, shaking his head.  “You really think I’m stupid enough to have it on me?”  He smiled.  “No.  If I don’t contact my friend in two hours time, the map goes straight to the Governor.”

 

Ben cursed and then called out.  “Someone tell Hux to get down here!” 

 

There was shuffling in another room and a small man came out.  “What, sir?”

 

“Mitaka, go get Hux and bring him down here.  Tell him we’ve found the map to Skywalker.”

 

The small man nodded and dashed out of the house.

 

“I guess until then,” Poe said, “we wait.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Finn slowly made his way up stairs, praying with each step that the wood wouldn’t creak.  He could hear movement in the bedroom just above the living room.  From what they’d watched earlier, Snoke’s people had broken into the house and set up here and in the room behind the living room downstairs.  Leia’s people were on the street, as best as Poe could see, although Finn didn’t want to discount the fact that some of them could’ve snuck inside as well.

 

All he was waiting on now was the signal.  Once Poe got Hux here, Rey and Luke, who were still across the street, were going to come in with the State Police.  It was Finn’s job to make sure that none of the moof-milkers upstairs caused any trouble.

 

Finn hid himself in a closet across from the room and waited.

 

**# # # #**

 

Poe kept tapping out a staccato beat on the arm rest.  His leg jiggled up and down.

 

“Nervous,” Ben asked.

 

“Just ready for this to be over with,” Poe said, all movement stopping.  “Ready to have my life back.”

 

“Some life,” Han sneered.

 

“Look, I never asked to be a part of your war, old man,” Poe bit back. 

 

“Guess you aren’t like your parents after all,” Han said.

 

Poe made sure to meet Han's eyes as he said, “Stupid Red Wind stuff."  Poe shook his head.  "And leave them out of this,” he grumbled.

 

A strange look crossed Han’s face and then it settled into a smile.  

 

Leia turned to her son.  “Ben, why are you—”

 

“Why am I doing this?”  He shook his head.  “You can’t see the realities of D’Qar.  Snoke can.”

 

Poe scoffed.

 

Ben whipped his gun around to him.  “Perhaps you’d like to re-think your deal?”

 

“No.  No.  Just…”  Poe shrugged.  “I’ll be quiet.”

 

“Yes,” Ben said.  “I think that would be best.”

 

The group heard a car outside and the sounds of people coming up the stairs.  “That’ll be Hux,” Ben said. 

 

Poe tensed ever so slightly and while Ben was watching the door, he caught Leia’s eye and winked.

 

She gave him an unamused look and a slight nod.  She then looked to Han, who gave her a nod as well.

 

Hux entered the living room in a flourish, brandishing black leather gloves that he slapped against his hands.  “Who wanted to see me?”

 

“That would be me,” Poe said, rising, being sure to put himself between Hux and Leia. 

 

Hux looked thoroughly unimpressed.  “And?”

 

“And,” Poe said.  _Where are you Luke?_   “And,” he repeated.  “I want your guarantee that if I turn over the map, you’ll clear me of the murder rap and let me go along my merry way.”

 

Hux laughed.  “And why should we do that?  We’ve already got Leia Organa and Han Solo.”

 

“But this way, you could have Luke Skywalker as well.  A matching set.”

 

Hux smiled.  “I like him,” he said.  “Fine.  You give me the map, and I’ll make all your problems go away.”

 

There was suddenly a noise at the door and a gruff voice yelling, “Freeze!  State Police!”

 

The living room erupted into chaos.

 

Han punched the guy holding a gun on him. 

 

Leia grabbed a gun from a holster on her thigh.

 

Poe shoved Hux into Ren. 

 

Chewie elbowed one of his captors in the face while spinning to punch the other one.

 

**# # # #**

 

Upstairs, Finn heard the yelling and commotion.  He ran to the door of the bedroom, threw it open, and yelled, “Freeze.”

 

Five of Snoke’s men, crowded around a table playing cards, looked up.  A cigarette fell out of one’s mouth, and for a split second, everything was quiet.

 

Then, the men started scrambling for their guns.

 

Finn ran in, punching one of them.  He kicked another and then grabbed the gun out of the third one’s reach.  Another of the men yanked at Finn’s jacket.  He let him have it, spinning, as he turned and pointed his gun at a forth.  “Put it down,” he grunted.

 

The fourth did, but the fifth took aim at Finn.

 

Two shots rang out as a barrage of State Police ran up the stairs.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow, the exciting conclusion!


	5. The Long Goodbye

 

 

An hour later, Governor Calrissian was personally escorting Snoke into a waiting police van across town.  At 2187 Starkiller, Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, Rey, and Poe were sitting in the living room.

 

Finn walked in, a bandage on his right arm.

 

Rey jumped up, “Finn!”  She ran over and hugged him.

 

“Ow,” he yelped.  She let go.  “I’m fine, peanut.  Really.”

 

Rey showed him to a seat.

 

“You sure, buddy,” Poe asked.

 

Finn nodded.  “Right as rain.”

 

“Okay, then, does somebody want to tell me what in the hell is going on,” Han asked.

 

“I’m so sorry, Leia,” Poe said.  “I didn’t want to lie to you, but—”

 

Leia put up a hand.  “I understand.”  She gave Poe a soft smile.  “Now, why don’t you start at the beginning?”

 

Poe shared a quick look with Finn.  "Well..."

 

**# # # #**

 

Everyone was standing around the front stoop an hour later.  Rey tugged on Finn’s arm.  “I’m hungry.  Luke and I are going to go to the Starlight.  Wanna come?”

 

“Sure,” Finn said.  He glanced over to where Poe was in a heated conversation with Leia Organa.  “I’ll be right behind you.”  Finn caught Poe’s eye and waved.

 

Poe said something to Leia and jogged over.  “Buddy!”

 

“Rey, Luke, and I are going over to the Starlight Diner.  Thought you might want to join us.”

 

Poe worried his lip.  “I need to finish up with…”  He glanced back over at Leia and then turned back to Finn.  He seemed to be arguing with himself.  “Tell you what.  You go on and I’ll catch up when I’m through.”

 

Finn nodded, wondering if this was Poe’s way of brushing him off.  He held out his hand.

 

Poe looked confused but took it.

 

“I just wanted to say thanks, Poe.”  He shook Poe’s hand.

 

“Shouldn’t I be the one thanking you?”

 

Finn shrugged.  “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders."  He looked down at their clasped hands, realizing he never wanted to let go.  He looked back up at Poe, hating that he didn't have the nerve to just say what was on his mind, in his heart.  "Hey, um, If you ever want a job as a PI, you should find me.”

 

Poe gave him a strange look before laughing.  “I’ll keep that in mind.”  He let go of Finn's hand, looking for the world like he wanted to say something more.  Instead, he shook his head and started to jog back to Leia.  He then stopped.  “I’ll see you at the diner in a few.”

 

“Sure thing,” Finn said, turning and walking away.

 

**# # # #**

 

Neither Rey nor Luke missed the funk that Finn was in.  “He’ll be here,” Rey insisted.

 

“No, he won’t.  He was just trying to let me down gently.”

 

Luke raised an eyebrow at that.  “From what I know of Poe Dameron, if he says he’s going to meet you, he’s going to meet you.”  Luke’s eyes then lit up.  “Speak of the devil.”

 

Finn turned to see Poe sauntering up to their booth.

 

As Poe slid into the booth, Finn wrapped an arm around him and gave him a quick hug.  “I was starting to think you were going to stand us up.”

 

For a moment, Poe’s eyes locked onto Finn’s.  “No.  Never.”  Finn didn’t miss the way Poe blushed.

 

But after a moment, the spell was broken.  Poe looked away and picked up a menu.  “So, what’s good?”

 

Before Rey could answer, Luke said, “Before we get distracted by the food.  I wanted to let you know that I talked to Lando.  I’ll be taking over as mayor temporarily while we wait for the special election.”

 

“I wonder who is going to run,” Finn muttered.

 

“My guess would be my sister.”

 

“She’ll win,” Rey said.

 

“Probably,” Luke said.

 

“Hopefully,” Poe added.

 

“Well, then,” Finn said, leaning back.  “That means that D’Qar might finally be safe for the first time in years.”

 

Poe winced at that, but he quickly schooled a smile on his face, grabbing the cup of coffee in front of him and raising it.  “To D’Qar!”

 

“To D’Qar,” the others echoed.

 

As they set their cups down, Luke said, “Seeing as how we’ll have to get rid of almost everyone working for Snoke, I’m going to need some good people working with me.”  He smiled.  “I was wondering if you might be interested.”

 

“You,” Rey asked.

 

“You and Finn.”

 

“What about Poe,” Finn asked.

 

“Oh,” Luke said, genuine surprise in his voice.  “I just assumed you still worked for Leia.  I mean…”

 

Poe shook his head.  “No.  But thanks, all the same.  I think it’s about time for me to get out of politics for good, focus on my music.”

 

Luke raised an eyebrow at that.

 

Poe quickly changed the topic.  “But, what I really want to know is, what’s good to eat here?”

 

Rey began outlining her very detailed opinions about every item on the menu.

 

Finn sat back with a frown.  _What’s bothering you, Dameron?_

 

**# # # #**

 

A few days later, Finn stood in his office, his fingers fidgeting.  “Stupid tie,” he muttered, yanking at the thing and trying to tie it again.  He, Rey, and Poe were getting a special commendation from the Governor in a few hours, and Finn was nervous.

 

There was a knock on the door.  Finn looked at the clock on the wall.  _Thank goodness you’re early, Rey.  Maybe you can tie this kriffing tie._   He walked across the office and threw open the door.  “Poe,” Finn said, surprised.

 

“Hi,” Poe said, standing in the hall outside Finn’s office.  “I wanted to…”  He looked up at Finn.  “Could I come in?”

 

“Oh yeah, sure.”  Finn ushered him in.  “I…”

 

“I was just…”  Poe laughed nervously.  “Your tie is a mess.”

 

“Yeah,” Finn grumbled, pulling it off.  He marched into his office, leaning against the side of his desk with a huff.

 

Poe followed him, chuckling.  “It’s just a tie,” he said, stepping up in between Finn’s legs and taking it out of his hands.  Poe undid the messy knot Finn had started and slowly looped the tie around Finn’s head.  He began to tie the tie, his fingers brushing against the lapels of Finn’s jacket. 

 

Finn looked up at him. 

 

They were inches apart and Poe was just standing there, his mouth slightly open. 

 

Poe’s fingers glided to a halt as he met Finn’s eyes.  He stopped breathing.  He began to lean in.

 

Rey burst through the front door of the office.  “Finn!  Are you ready yet?”

 

Poe startled and jerked back.

 

Finn jumped off his desk and finished tying his tie.  “Uh, yeah,” he said.

 

Rey stopped in the doorway.  “Ummmmm...”

 

“I was just about to say goodbye,” Poe said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

 

“Goodbye?  Aren’t you going to the ceremony?”

 

“No,” Poe said.  “I’ve got a gig out of town and I have to leave…” he checked his watch, “well, now.”  He looked from Finn to Rey.  “I wanted to thank the two of you again for everything.”  He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a large bundle of cash.  “That’s everything I owe you,” he said, pressing it into Finn’s hand.  “Plus, a little extra for all the trouble I put you through.”

 

“Poe, you didn’t—”

 

Poe shook his head.  “No.  I promised, and a promise is a promise.”  He walked towards the door, giving Rey a light kiss on the top of her head.  “It’s been a pleasure,” he said.  He stopped and met Finn’s eyes.  “Truly.”  He walked out into the front office.

 

“Poe?”

 

Finn heard the front door shut.

 

Rey crossed her arms.  “I bet you’re happy to finally be rid of him.”

 

“Yeah,” Finn said, collapsing into his chair.  “Happy.”

 

**# # # #**

 

Two weeks later, Rey was a woman on a mission. 

 

She asked Finn’s friend Rose to introduce her to Rose’s friend Jess—who was beautiful and Rey was definitely going to have to go back to the garage where Jess worked and spend some more time with Jess in the future, but…  _FOCUS, Kenobi!_

 

Rey looked down at the scrap of paper in her hand.  Jess had given Rey Snap’s contact information and Snap had happily told Rey where Poe was currently playing.

 

“Out of town gig, my aunt fanny,” Rey muttered as she walked into the club.

 

The place was dim, but packed, and up on stage Poe was playing the hell out of a trumpet.  The entire room seemed enraptured as he blew out a sad-sounding song.

 

Rey leaned against a wall in the back, watching.

 

Poe played two more songs and then gave it over to a singer named Karé Kun. 

 

As Poe walked off stage, Rey marched up and grabbed his arm.  “We need to talk,” she hissed. 

 

“Hey, Rey, nice to see you,” Poe said as she drug him into the back. 

 

Rey stopped and pointed down the hall.  “Which one’s yours?”

 

“Mine?”

 

“Dressing room?”

 

Poe laughed.  “Oh Rey, that’s cute.”  He nodded to a door next to her.  “That’s a supply closet.  That next one is where the ladies can change.  That one leads to the kitchen; that’s the manager’s office, and the far one leads out into the alley.”

 

Rey nodded and drug Poe out into the alley.  She pushed him against the wall and then crowded him.

 

“Look, Rey, while I’m flattered—”

 

Rey put her hand over his mouth.  “Shut up!”  She shook her head.  “You talk too much.”

 

“I’ve been told that…erargh!”  Rey pinched his arm and he flinched away.  “What the hell, Rey?”

 

“Have I got your attention?”

 

Poe rubbed his arm.  “Yeah.”

 

“Good.  What’s your deal, then?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Rey looked like she wanted to murder him.  “Don’t make me get mean with you.”

 

“That wasn’t mean?”

 

“No.”

 

“Kriff.”  Poe shook his head.  “You’re one scary dame.”

 

“Poe, why are you here?”

 

“Because it’s a good job.  Pay is steady and…”

 

“I talked to Luke,” Rey said.  “I know all about—”

 

“Good,” Poe said, pushing off the wall.  “Then, we don’t have to talk about it.”  He started down the alley.

 

“Why are you running away?”

 

“Who says I’m running away?”

 

Rey crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

 

“You wouldn’t understand.”

 

“Try me.”

 

A man with a dazzling smile poked his head out of the door to the club.  “Poe, you coming back soon?”

 

“Sure, Bastian, I’ll be right back,” Poe said.

 

“No,” Rey said.  “He’s done for the night.”

 

The guy looked from Rey to Poe.

 

“Rey, I appreciate what—”

 

“Poe, I will drop you if you take one more step towards that door.”

 

The guy in the doorway said, “I’ll tell the boss you had an emergency.”  He let the door slam shut.

 

“Rey, I need this gig.”

 

“No, you don’t.”

 

Poe’s breath caught.  “He told you everything, didn’t he?”

 

“And what he didn’t tell me, Leia did.  Oh, plus, I’m a private investigator.  It’s what I do!”

 

“Kriff,” Poe said, running a hand through his hair.   “Does he know?”

 

“Who?  Finn?”  Rey shook her head.  “No, I haven’t told him…yet.”

 

“Good.  Don’t.”

 

Rey frowned.  “Why?”

 

“I don’t want him thinking…”  Poe started pacing.  “I don’t know!  I just…”  Poe fell back against the brick wall.  “I don’t want him thinking less of me.”

 

“How does you being rich do that? Or are you talking about the fact that you used to work for Leia doing…what did she call it?”

 

“Special projects,” Poe muttered.  He closed his eyes and stretched his neck.  He then opened them and met Rey’s eyes.  “I’m not proud of the stuff I did for her, but it got results and a lot of Snoke’s people are off the streets because of it.”

 

“I agree.  I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed—”

 

“I killed people, Rey.”

 

“You did it defending the town from Snoke.”

 

“Still…”  Poe shook his head.

 

“So that’s why you’re hiding?”

 

“I tried to leave that life behind, focus on my music, and then Leia asks me to do one last job as a favor and…”  He sighed.  “I don’t want to do that again.”

 

“So don’t.”

 

He gave Rey a pointed look.  “The Skywalkers have ways of pulling you back in, working on you.  I just figured if I went away, then…”  He fell back against the wall.  “Oh, I don’t know.”

 

“Finn didn’t take the job with Skywalker,” she said.

 

“He didn’t?”

 

Rey shook her head.  “I did.  I figure someone has to keep an eye on things, and I’m good at that sort of thing.”

 

“Good,” Poe said.  “Good for him and good for you.”

 

“So you can come back,” Rey said.

 

Poe shook his head.

 

“Why?”

 

“There’s also the money,” Poe said, staring at the ground.  He kicked a piece of garbage and watched it roll down the alley.  “Every single kriffing time someone finds out, it changes things.  Either they decide that they want to be my very best friend or they decide that I’m some sort of rich snob and…”  He kicked off the wall.  “It never ends well.”

 

“Is that really how little you think of Finn?”

 

“No.  I think Finn is about the…”  Poe sighed.  “I think he’s about the greatest guy in the world.”

 

“Then why are you avoiding him?  What’s the real story, Dameron?”

 

Poe shook his head and sunk a bit.

 

“Poe,” Rey warned.

 

“Rey,” he said, his voice cracking.  “I can’t work with him!  I can’t go in there every day and be with him and see him and…”  His head fell into his hands.

 

“You’re in love with him,” she said.

 

“Yeah,” Poe said, leaning up and wiping his eyes.  “So it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to—”

 

“Why not,” Rey asked.

 

“Because I made my feelings pretty clear to him and he turned me down.”

 

“What?”  Rey shook her head.  “No, if you had made your feelings clear, Finn would have told me.”

 

“Maybe he doesn’t share everything with you.”

 

Rey stepped up, crowding Poe, “I know Finn.  I know that he’s been miserable the past few weeks.  I know that he misses you and…”  She walked away, talking mostly to herself, “It explains everything.”  She turned.  “He’s as gone on you as you are on him, but for some reason, you two are too dumb to see it.”

                                                 

“Rey,” Poe started.

 

“No.  You two want to play this stupid game where you make yourselves miserable, go right ahead.”  She stomped down the alley, muttering, “Idiots.”

 

Poe closed his eyes and took in a long breath.  He leaned his head back and sighed.  _It’s for the best._

 

**# # # #**

 

Rey sat at one of the tables in the Mayor’s office with Rose, Jess, Snap, two of Leia’s underlings, Iolo and Nein, and the singer from Poe’s club, Karé Kun.

 

Luke poked his head out of his office.  “Do I want to know what is going on?”

 

“No,” Rey said.  “Go read those files I put on your desk.”

 

Luke chuckled and sat back down.

 

Snap looked around the table.  “So, why are we all here?”  His eyes met Miss Kun’s and he gave her a quick wink. 

 

She rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, Miss Kenobi, not to be too rude, but I have a show in a few hours.”

 

“A show?  Really?  Where,” Snap asked.

 

Karé rolled her eyes again, “At the _I’m not interested_ club.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Snap said, unphased.  “Lots of ladies I know perform there.”

 

Rey leaned forward.  “Poe and Finn are being idiots.”

 

“Poe,” Rose asked.  She looked at Jess who shrugged.

 

“Friend of mine,” Snap said to her.

 

“Former enforcer for Leia Organa,” Iolo added.

 

“Oh,” Rose said, shooting a confused look at Rey.

 

“The emphasis is on _former_ ,” Rey said. 

 

“So, who’s Finn,” Karé asked.

 

“He’s a private investigator,” Rose supplied.  “One of the best.”

 

“And he’s the guy who helped take down Snoke a few weeks ago,” Rey added.  “But that’s beside the point.  What’s important is that Poe and Finn are idiots.”

 

Karé groaned.  “Oh, is Finn a quote _beautiful man with big dreamy eyes and the most kissable lips ever_?”

 

“Ewwwww,” Rey said, squeezing her eyes shut.

 

Rose nodded.  “I could see someone saying that.  Not her,” she jerked her head towards Rey, “but maybe someone else.”  Rose chuckled.  “I guess that means that Poe is the mystery man with beautiful curls and the biggest brown eyes Finn’s ever seen?”

 

Rey nodded.

 

Snap laughed.  “So they’re in love!”  He looked around the table.  “What’s the problem, then?”

 

“They’re idiots,” Rey repeated.  “They’re in love, but for some reason they both think the other isn’t interested.” 

 

Everyone groaned.

 

“And, so we’re here to…” Iolo asked.

 

“We’re here to come up with a plan to get them together, so I don’t have to hear Finn whine about Poe every night after work.”

 

Karé nodded.  “And that would mean I wouldn’t have to see Poe sulking around the club anymore, either.”  She slapped the table.  “I’m in.”

 

“So am I,” Snap said.

 

Karé groaned.

 

“Me too,” Rose said.

 

Rey looked at Iolo and Nein.  “Sure,” Iolo said.  “We’ll help.

 

“Great, so now we just need to figure out an excuse to get them alone together…”

 

**# # # #**

 

Two days later, Rey smiled as she sauntered into Finn’s office.  “Finn!  You here?”

 

“Yeah, peanut,” Finn called out.

 

Rey walked in and fell into one of the chairs with an exaggerated sigh.

 

Finn’s face crinkled in concern.  “What’s wrong?”

 

Rey shook her head.  “Luke asked me to look into this nightclub across town…”  She fished in her pockets and pulled out a piece of paper.  “The Kit-Kat Club?  And I just…”

 

Finn started laughing.  “Okay, spill.  What are you trying to do?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Finn leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.  “Poe plays at The Kit-Kat Club.”

 

Rey’s mouth fell open.  “You knew that,” she finally squeaked.

 

Finn chuckled.  “I’m a private eye.  The day after he paid us ten times what he owed us, I started doing a little digging.”  He opened a drawer and pulled out a file.  “Poe Dameron, age 32.  Son of Shara Bey and Kes Dameron.  Estimated worth close to half a million dollars.”  Finn looked up from the file.  “Seems mommy and daddy were keen investors who somehow managed to side-step the depression.”  He looked back down.  “Worked as an enforcer called Black One for Leia for several years.  From the reports, he got some really nasty sorts off the streets, but…”  He shrugged.  “It still wasn’t completely above-board.”  He sighed, closing the file.  “Gave that up about three years ago, but Leia still called him in for the occasional odd job, and he’s been working at The Kit-Kat Club since the whole thing with Snoke.”

 

Rey shook her head.  “You knew?”

 

“Of course, I knew.”  He pulled out the wad of cash Poe had given them.  “I wasn’t going to take this if it was stolen or something.”

 

Rey leaned forward.  “So why haven’t you gone to see him?”

 

“Poe made it pretty clear that he doesn’t—”

 

“He’s in love with you.”

 

“—want to see…  Wait, what?”

 

“Poe is in love with you.”

 

Finn’s mouth fell open.  When he finally closed it, he shook his head, and then said, “But…  No.  How?”

 

“How?”

 

“You know what I mean.”

 

“I went to talk to him because I thought he was being a jerk.  Turns out, he thinks you aren’t interested.”

 

“Me?  But…”  Finn leaned back into his chair.  “Damn.”

 

Rey gave him a moment and then asked, “So, does that mean you might be open to going along with our little plan?”

 

“Our?”

 

“Me, Rose, and some of Poe’s friends.”

 

Finn looked at her—she was so wide-eyed and eager—he felt his resolve crumble.  “Okay, fine.  What do I have to do?”

 

**# # # #**

 

Karé found Poe at one of the back tables polishing his trumpet.  It was an hour before the doors opened, so the club was quiet.  “Poe,” she said, sitting down.  “I have a favor to ask.”

 

“Hmmmmm,” Poe asked, not bothering to look up.

 

“Could you switch sets with me?  I have a date with this guy and…”

 

Poe looked up with a smile.  “This guy?”

 

“Yeah, he’s been pestering me for a week now and…”  She shrugged.  “I don’t know.  He’s kind of cute, if you’re into big burly types.”

 

Poe laughed.  “Sure, I’ll switch with you.”

 

“Great,” Karé said.  “Also, do you think you could do that new song you’ve been working on?  The sad one that—”

 

Poe put down his rag and his horn.  It was strange enough that Karé was asking him to switch sets.  The woman was fanatical about her career, but to request a song—a song he hadn’t even finished writing yet—that was so out of character that he knew something was up.  “Okay, what gives?”

 

“What gives?”

 

“Karé, you and I have known each other for a while now, and while I’m not saying that there’s something up, I…”  He shook his head.  “There’s something up.”

 

“Poe, I don’t know what—”

 

Poe put his hand up.  “I’m going to stop you right there, Kun.  Something is most definitely up.  Spill.”

 

Karé shook her head.  “Rey is gonna kill me.”

 

“Rey?”  Poe groaned.  “Okay, you need to tell me everything right now.”

 

“Well,” Karé said with a smile. “It’s like this…”

 

**# # # #**

 

Poe was nervous as he took the stage in Karé’s usual slot.  He looked around the club, but with the dim lighting and the spotlight in his eyes, he couldn’t see anything.  _I hope Karé was telling me the truth_.  He took a deep breath.  _And I really hope you’re here, Finn_.  “This is for the one that I let slip away,” Poe said into the mic.  “I call it _The Long Good-Bye_.”

 

He then started playing.  He poured all his energy into the song, hoping that Finn was sitting somewhere out in the darkness and could feel all the things Poe wanted him to feel, could hear how Poe’s heart was breaking.

 

Just as Poe reached the end of the song, a booming voice in the back called out, “This is a raid!”

 

Poe smiled and then immediately tried to school his face into shock.  “Oh no! A raid,” he said.  He pretended to scramble towards the back.  Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder, pulling him into the supply closet and then yanking it shut. 

 

Poe couldn’t help the grin on his face as the other person’s body pressed into his and the two of them listened at the door.

 

After a few minutes, the scrambling and yelling seemed to die down.  Poe gave a light chuckle, “I want to know how they talked the owner into faking a damn raid,” he whispered.

 

Finn’s voice was at his ear.  “Turns out Lando owns this place.”

 

Poe’s laughter grew.  “Of course, he does.”  He turned, suddenly face to face with Finn.  “Hi.”

 

“Hi,” Finn said, a dopey grin on his face. “You knew?”

 

“Yeah, Karé is a crappy liar.  She spilled the whole story.  You?”

 

“I’m a PI.  Three days after you split, I had your whole life story, so I thought it was a bit strange when Rey had a case for me at The Kit-Kat Club.”

 

Poe looked down.  “Whole life story?”

 

Finn put his fingers under Poe’s chin and lifted it back up.  “Yep.”  He leaned in.  “And I don’t care about your past, or who you used to be, and I don’t give a crap about your money.”

 

“You don’t?”

 

Finn shrugged.  “Why would I?”

 

Poe shook his head.  “I don’t know.  Most people do, though.”

 

“Well, I ain’t most people, am I?”

 

Poe smiled.  He realized that Finn hadn’t let go of his chin.  “So why are you here?”

 

“Because a little birdy told me that I got something wrong.  Something important.”

 

“A little birdy named Rey?”

 

“Yep,” Finn said, licking his lips.  “This little birdy told me that the guy, who I thought wasn’t interested in me, was, in fact, very interested.  Perhaps even in love.”  He didn’t miss the way Poe blushed at that.

 

Poe leaned in just a bit.  “Well, that same little birdy might have told me that the guy, who I thought wasn’t interested in me, was also interested.  Also perhaps in love.”

 

Finn chuckled, pulling Poe towards him.  “Well, what are we going to do about that?”

 

“I don’t know, Mister Smith, but I feel like we should do something.”

 

“Hmmmmm,” Finn hummed, leaning even closer until his lips were mere millimeters from Poe’s.  “Any ideas,” he whispered.

 

Poe nodded, his eyelids suddenly heavy.  “Yeah,” he said.  “Several.”

 

“Mmmmmm,” Finn hummed, brushing his lips against Poe’s.  “I’d love to hear them.”

 

“Good,” Poe said, snaking his hands around Finn’s shoulders.  “Because I’ve been dying to tell you.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Poe said.

 

Finn chuckled.  “How long are we gonna keep up this banter, do you think?”

 

“I could keep it up all night,” Poe said, ghosting his lips across Finn’s cheek and leaning in to his ear.  “All night long,” he breathed.

 

Finn groaned, moving his hands to pull Poe even closer.  “Or,” he just barely managed.  “We could quit talking and move on to better things.”

 

“Better than talking?”  Poe nipped at Finn’s ear.

 

Finn found a delectable spot on Poe’s neck and licked a long stripe up it.  “Much better.”

 

“Kriff,” Poe moaned.

 

“Exactly,” Finn said before diving in again.

 

**# # # #**

 

Rey rolled her eyes as she walked out of the hall.  “They FINALLY stopped talking,” she said to the group sitting around one of the tables, drinking.

 

“How long do we leave them in there before we…”  Snap trailed off, making a face as it became clear what Poe and Finn were probably doing in the closet.

 

Karé swatted his shoulder and perched on his lap.  “Let them be.”

 

“So,” said Governor Calrissian, “since we seem to have an empty club for the evening, what about some music?”

 

“And another round,” Iolo said, pulling at the police officer’s uniform he’d borrowed for the “raid.”

 

“Another round,” Luke said, pushing up.  “I’ll get it.”

 

There was a sudden crash from the supply closet and the entire group froze. 

 

“Uh, should we,” Rose asked, starting to get up. 

 

There was another loud thud and most of the group scrambled up in time to see Poe and Finn, who had managed to fall out of the closet, sprawled on the ground, their clothes and hair a mess.

 

“Poe.  Finn,” Rey said.  “Want to join us for a drink?”

 

“I think we’ll pass,” Finn said, pressing down his shirt and offering Poe a hand up.

 

“Yeah, we have some…”

 

“Business,” Finn helped

 

“Yeah, business to attend to elsewhere.”  Poe took Finn’s hand and tugged him towards the alley.

 

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Snap called after them.

 

“Well,” Rey said, walking back over to the table.  “I’d call that a success.”

 

**# # # #**

 

**Three months later…**

The tall man in the loud, purple suit took the stairs two at a time.  He glanced at the scrap of paper in his hand.  Sprawled across it was an address: _123 Crait St., Office 221._

 

He stopped in front of an unassuming door at the end of the hall with a sign that read: **Smith and Dameron, Private Investigators.**

 

He knocked.

 

A man with thick curls and a dazzling smile answered, “Hello!  Welcome to Smith and Dameron.  How can I help you?”

 

Another man walked into the room from a back office, leaning against the door frame.

 

The man in the purple suit said, “My name is Zeb Orrelios, and my friend is missing.  I was told you could help.”

 

“Well, you came to the right place, Mister Orrelios.  I’m Finn Smith, and this is my partner, Poe Dameron." Finn couldn't help smiling as Poe winked at him, but he kept his voice professional as he continued, "Just tell us what you know, and we’ll find your friend.”

 

Zeb sighed in relief and sunk into the chair Poe pointed to.  “Well, it all started when I got stuck in Bahryn with this jerk named Kallus…”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I couldn't resist putting a little _Rebels_ reference in there at the end.
> 
>  
> 
> Many thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments on this!
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> As always, I adore and appreciate kudos and comments. They make my day!


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